1. United States
2. Mont.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to investigate the misuse of National Park Service entrance fee funds that have been funneled into no-bid contracts for President Donald Trump’s Washington, D.C. ornamental vanity projects. Recent reporting has raised serious concerns about the diversion of National Park Service entrance fees for Reflecting Pool resurfacing, fountain repairs, and other lavish ornamental projects costing at least $90 million. Some of the project contracts were handed out without competitive bidding — including a $14 million contract awarded to a company that reportedly worked on President Trump's personal swimming pools. America’s national parks are facing the most severe funding shortfalls in a generation. President Trump’s administration has forced out a quarter of the National Park Service workforce, and critical facilities, trails, and visitor infrastructure are deteriorating. Every dollar diverted for ornamental projects in Washington, D.C. is another dollar stripped from a $24 billion maintenance backlog that grows deeper every year. Decades of polling show strong bipartisan support for America’s national parks and the long-term conservation of our public lands for water, wildlife, and recreation. Despite this clear, long-lasting popular mandate, Congress has failed to adequately fund, protect, and steward these resources. Our national parks belong to the American people — not any one president. I urge you to demand accountability for the Trump administration’s diversion of National Park Service entrance fees into no-bid contracts for D.C. projects, fully fund our parks, and reauthorize the critical maintenance funding that expired last year.